Typhoon
Pabuk, which hit the Kii Peninsula in western Japan shortly
after 7 p.m. Tuesday, claimed at least two lives as it
became the first typhoon in two years to hit the mainland,
the Meteorological Agency said. It was expected to reach
the Tokyo area this morning.

TOKYO
— Typhoon Pabuk is moving slowly and expected to reach Tokyo
Wednesday morning, according to the Japan Meteorological
Agency. It reached Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four
main islands, on Tuesday, bringing strong winds and heavy
rain.

TOKYO
(Reuters) - Powerful Typhoon Pabuk, packing winds of up to
79 mph, plowed into Japan Tuesday, killing two people,
snarling air, sea and rail traffic and forcing Universal
Studios to close its theme park. The typhoon landed at
around 7 p.m. in the western prefecture of Wakayama,
becoming the first typhoon to hit Japan's main island of
Honshu in two years, the Meteorological Agency
said.

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C will require “far-reaching and unprecedented changes,” such as ditching coal for electricity to slash carbon emissions, says a special report that finds some of the actions needed are already under way, but the world must move faster… More>>

Oxfam and its local partners are standing by to deploy emergency staff and resources to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, as an estimated 1.5 million people are thought to be affected by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit on Friday. More>>

“This is a great day for India and for all those who believe in the universality of human rights," Bachelet said. "With this landmark decision, the Indian Supreme Court has taken a big step forward for freedom and equality...” More>>